The book was described as having some wear along the joints with minor spotting on the margins of the title page. (Christie's)

A first edition of Anne of Green Gables sold at a Christie's auction in New York for $8,125 US on Friday morning.

The sale price was at the lower end of the $8,000 US to $12,000 US Christie's expected to get for the 1908 novel by Canadian author L. M. Montgomery.

The beloved book spawned an entire specialized tourist industry on Prince Edward Island, as well as Canada's longest running musical and several movie versions.

The auctioned edition was described as unusual because it comes in a brown cover. Most of the first editions come in a green cover. Christie's website said the book was "the property of a lady."

First editions of Anne are rare. While it eventually became a worldwide phenomenon, published in at least 30 languages, the first run of the book was small. In 2005, a green-covered first edition went for $24,000 US. At the time, that was the fifth first edition to go up for auction in 30 years.

This sale was part of an auction that included 299 books and manuscripts.